I just got a hands-on look at the JVC SR-HD1500, which is a
practical and easy-to-use AV component designed for authoring Blu-ray
discs without a PC.
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| With the SR-HD1500, HD recordings from a camcorder or any pro or
“prosumer” digital camera can be transferred to a Blu-ray disc, or
down-converted and recorded onto a standard DVD. |
With
the SR-HD1500, HD recordings from a camcorder or any pro or “prosumer”
digital camera can be transferred to a Blu-ray disc, or down-converted
and recorded onto a standard DVD. USB 2.0 and i.Link connectors,
combined with an SD memory card slot, provide an interface to most SD
and HD digital camcorders.
The SR-HD1500 allows anyone to create
professional-quality BDMV (with menu) or BDAV format discs. It stores
up to 24 hours of HD video (in AE mode, using dual-layer 50GB disc) and
supports BD-R or BD-RE (erasable) Blu-ray discs. And it authors discs
with auto-start or repeat playback, as well.
Introduced in the
fall of 2009, the unit allows for digital and analog inputs for wide
compatibility. You can input video into the SR-HD1500 via FireWire
(i.Link), composite/S-Video, USB, and SD cards. And, you can output to
HDMI, component, or via an RS-232C terminal for external control. This
allows for flexible monitoring via HDMI or component.
A note for
Hollywood Blu-ray movie release buffs: this unit is NOT a
Hollywood-mastered Blu-ray movie-dubbing unit. The obvious missing
input is HDMI, which, of course, this is no oversight. Hollywood
studios don’t want you duping Blu-ray discs for your pals, or for
distribution. So there is no Blu-ray to Blu-ray “dubbing” unit
available in this country. (Note, however, that copying “unprotected”
DVD or Blu-ray discs is a simple process with a built-in duplication
function.)
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| I shot a variety of full 1080p HD video at the InfoComm show in early
June 2010, using a Canon 5D Mark II camera and filling up a 32GB
Compact Flash card with an hour’s worth of full 1080p footage. |
The
SR-HD1500 features a 500 GB hard drive, plus an RS-232C terminal and
support for .MOV files (from the camera directly, or from files output
by Apple Final Cut Pro, other editing applications–even iMovie). The
internal 500 GB hard drive is a big asset.
I shot a variety of
full 1080p HD video at the InfoComm show in early June 2010, using a
Canon 5D Mark II camera and filling up a 32GB Compact Flash card with
an hour’s worth of full 1080p footage. Unfortunately, the SR-HD1500
does not have a Compact Flash card reader, but it only took me about
three minutes to import the footage, via Firewire, onto a Blu-ray disc
inserted into the SR-HD1500.
You really don’t want to use this
unit for sophisticated editing, but it does have a simple, menu-driven
interface that enables edited clips to be assembled into a completed
project and recorded to Blu-ray discs. Discs also can be authored for
auto-start or repeat playback, which provide ideal options for
presentations, kiosks, and point-of-sale displays.
With its
$2,550 MSRP, the SR-HD1500 is ideal for the amateur video producer
(weddings, parties, home movies) or home theater enthusiast who wants
to dub DVDs or VHS tapes onto Blu-ray. In fact, the unit has the
professional features preferred by pro video production companies that
are dubbing HD video from events onto Blu-ray discs for distribution to
their clients.
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| With its $2,550 MSRP, the SR-HD1500 is ideal for the amateur video
producer (weddings, parties, home movies) or home theater enthusiast. |